Sick Child

New parents often marvel that such an adorable and precious bundle of joy has become part of their lives. But the responsibility for another human being – one who can only communicate by crying, pooping and sleeping – can be overwhelming. Especially if you think your baby might be sick.

“New parents should never hesitate to call their child’s doctor if they are concerned,” says Rebecca Fazilat, M.D., a pediatrician at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation. “Doctors who care for children, such as pediatricians and family medicine doctors, expect a lot of calls because it takes experience for parents to learn how and when to respond to their child’s illness.”

Sneezing, coughing, puffy eyes and an itchy nose are some of the uncomfortable signs that allergy season is under way and you or your child is affected. Hay fever, also called allergic rhinitis, happens when your a person’s immune system overreacts to allergens found in the air he or she is breathing.

“Seasonal allergies are typically caused by plant pollen, and different plants release pollen at different times of the year,” says Steven Rubinstein, M.D., an Allergy and Immunology specialist at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation. “This means that the worst season for a person who suffers from allergies will depend on what plant pollen causes his or her allergies.”

Although it’s impossible to avoid certain trees and plants, and on a windy day pollen can reach your you or your child anyway, Dr. Rubinstein explains that, “Knowing your trigger season can help you prepare in advance so you can minimize allergy symptoms for you or your child.”

Parents are often surprised to learn that young children typically have between seven to 10 colds (viral respiratory infections) a year for the first few years of life, especially if a child is in daycare or preschool.

Although colds can create a lot of misery for children and parents, most of them resolve within two weeks. The typical course is fever (and often a sore throat) for the first one to three days of illness followed by a runny nose, congestion and coughing. These symptoms worsen during the first week and then gradually improve over the second week.

“Parents often have two pressing questions when their child has a cold,” says Cara Barone, M.D., a pediatrician at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation. “They want to know how to ease their child’s discomfort and how to know when it is something more serious.”

Dr. Barone offers three tips for making children comfortable while the cold runs its course.

Parents have good reason for this concern: Colds and pertussis begin with similar symptoms, so it’s hard to tell the difference at first. But whooping cough is a highly contagious disease that gets worse after a few weeks, while common colds improve. People develop uncontrollable coughing fits that make it hard to breathe. In rare cases, especially in young babies, it can be fatal.

During the winter season, nearly every parent worries about “the flu” (influenza). This year the predominant influenza strain circulating is pH1N1, the same strain that caused severe illness in adolescents and young adults, as well as older adults, in 2009-2010.

“Both are caused by upper respiratory viruses, so the symptoms can be similar. But the hallmark of influenza is that it’s generally much more severe, with higher fever which typically lasts days longer, muscle aches, headache and cough,” she says. Cold viruses typically cause a runny nose, sore throat, cough and a lower fever if one at all.

Dr. Carmack offers these five tips for parents to help their children stay healthy.

Nearly every parent has felt their child’s hot, feverish forehead and worried. Is it serious? How high is too high? Should they go to the doctor?

Few symptoms scare parents more than fever, says Palo Alto Medical Foundation pediatrician Cara Barone, M.D. But it’s important to know when to treat, and when to let nature take its course. Here, Dr. Barone answers parents’ most common questions about fever, and offers tips on how to take your child’s temperature properly.

About This Blog

Welcome. This blog offers articles and general health tips from PAMF medical experts to promote wellness and health education in the community. It does not provide personalized medical advice - if you have a personal medical question, please contact your doctor directly to discuss. Thank you for visiting our blog.